Summit Notebook

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Pakistan’s foreign reserves are dwindling fast and many worry about the country descending into chaos.
But Naser Al-Marri, managing director of Noor Financial Investment Co. is taking a longer view of the country.
“I love Pakistan,” he told a Reuters summit. “For me Pakistan is a mini-China.”
The country’s potential lies in its agricultural resources and its potential as a bridge for ferrying energy into fast-growing China.
Marri’s Noor, a major shareholder in Karachi Electric Supply Company, urged Gulf Arab desert countries to invest more in growing crops in Pakistan. Gas could also flow from the Gulf to China through Pakistan, he said.
As Pakistani president Asif Zardari visits Saudi Arabia seeking aid, he would be heartened by some long-term optimism.
“Many people don’t like Pakistan, but I am sure in five years, Pakistan will be the place to be,” Marri said.